Bill97

I remarked that they were visually uncomfortable right away but they insisted that it takes time to get used to new lenses and if they were still a problem a month or two down the road, bring them back.

They did the prescription wrong or cut the lenses wrong or both. Next time get, in your pocket two prescriptions, from two different places and only get lenses if both prescriptions are the same.

Then if the glasses are uncomfrotable, have them check the lenses against the prescription. If they are not the same, they should correct it for you because any shop could check this and prove that they did not cut the lenses properly. An exception is polycarbonate lenses which just do not work for some people. In CM they often cut lenses incorrectly.

That it takes a month or two for your eyes to adjust to lenses is BS.

Next time, do not pay if they are visually uncomfortable. Not much you can do now. Lenses are not to expensive here so get a new pair cut. The shop down the street from the Irish Pub seems to be good for many people.

Baht rises to strongest level in decade

The dealer said the strengthening of the baht is not cause for overconcern because the currency has been moved by market mechanism, driven by the foreign capital inflows.

Should the foreign funds continue to flow into the country, the baht is likely to further appreciate.

Source: TNA - 03 July 2007

So, should the foreign funds start to flow out of the country, the baht is likely to depreciate.

Lots of good reasons why the foreign funds could start to flow out of Thailand. Better opportunities elsewhere or the need for those funds at in their home countries, and out go the funds. Problems in the US economy are growing and dollars will be headed back there to save the home offices. There is not much fundamental about the Thai economy that is great, there is just too much liquidity in the West looking for a place to invest and because Thai stock and currency markets are thin, they are easily moved.

This case seems to be the most clear. She bought it, he approved it and the law says that they, because of his government position, were prohibited from doing that. They and their lawyers do not want the public, here and in England, to get this easy to understand information of apparent corruption and guilt.

Don't know of any trailors but a one way truck from Budget is a possibility.

I'm on the Mae Joe road and have water. Our whole village has water. Guess our area is different because almost for sure at least one person in every house knows where their water comes from. Good luck.

Great chance for the Thai Government to play Taksin's family delaying game. Just tell the British Government to please hold the accounts untill the investigation is completed which after all the illnesses and other important business dealys should tie up those funds for about a year.

Delay is the normal tactic. The sad thing is that the Government continues to accept the lame excuses. If they do that with the cases, it will all come to a large waste of time and money.

I think Chanchao is right. I have always been told that Non Im O and other Non Im visas were only issued outside of Thailand. Maybe the problem was that you were asking for something simply impossible and you did not understand or accept their response.

I have always done my own visa stuff with CM Immigration and never had any problems. Their service over the recent 3-5 years has improved a lot. They have been helpful, never unfriendly and not bad as government officials go. They are at least as good as the US Consul staff in most cases. Based on my experience.

I spoke with CM & BKK immigration offices today. They will both issue non-imm O visas, but being a dependent is not an acceptable purpose for issuing one. They will issue one, for example, if you want to apply for a retirement extension to your non-imm 0 and you neet the financial requirements for retirement.

Things must have changed then because my retirement extensions have always used the same old Non Imm O, never a new one issued in Thailand. So I am here on a ten year old visa that has many retirement extensions.

I think Chanchao is right. I have always been told that Non Im O and other Non Im visas were only issued outside of Thailand. Maybe the problem was that you were asking for something simply impossible and you did not understand or accept their response.

I have always done my own visa stuff with CM Immigration and never had any problems. Their service over the recent 3-5 years has improved a lot. They have been helpful, never unfriendly and not bad as government officials go. They are at least as good as the US Consul staff in most cases. Based on my experience.

Hmm. About 8 people parachuting down in Mae Rim north of the Mae Rim-Mae Choo road at about 11:45 also.

Thai Special Forces training area.

Thanks, I thought all the military in that area was located south of the Mae Rim- Mae Choo road.

Great new jobs comming up for uniform compliance inspectors.

Hmm. About 8 people parachuting down in Mae Rim north of the Mae Rim-Mae Choo road at about 11:45 also.

The newspapers often mention a lot of irrelevent stuff when writing about the cases.

The price and rezoning are not central to the case against Taksin. He may be convicted, and rightfully so, even if the price and rezoning are all fine.

For me, one of the safest places you can be, is to run outside and get in the car. Mine is under a metal carport, which should protect against light debris falling. Also protects agains falling electric wires, which is really the only thing I'm worried about.

I hope that metal carport is well grounded. Don't think a steel post set in concrete would ground it.

The other indicator I use is the PVI which is the Pirated Video Indicator, at good ie busy times the rate is 100B per disc or negotiate down to about 80Baht it you speak Thai. Last night I picked up 15 for 1000 which is a significant jump and indicative of how much they are selling.

CB

Good price, where did you get them?

It's crunch time today...

Prosecution to consider Thaksin land case today

The article also states:

"Mr Thaksin also said the ASC should not bully his family because they did not know anything about the share transactions. This gave credence to the allegation that Mr Thaksin was running the show."

and that it was Taksin's shares and money. Mr. Korn has a good point.

Might try the places that sell stuff for agriculture, the places that sell fertilizer usually sell a variety of insecticides. From the Ping River, if you head toward the train station there are a couple on the right side before you get to the first traffic light, one a few doors from the river and another about half way to the light.

If the money end is about stealing money from them, how about just not leaving it around, lock it in a drawer or cabinet?

Getting sis straightened out would probably be best for all. Are there any approaches that have not yet been tried? She may not respond well if she learns that she has been watched by a detective. Confronting Thai family members can cause other problems.

BVI link in new Thaksin spending

Three of seven companies in which the Shinawatra and Damapong families recently invested Bt16.4 billion are linked to British Virgin Islands-registered Win Mark, according to deputy Democrat Party secretary-general Korn Chatikavanij.

Chief counsel for Thaksin Shinawatra, Noppadon Patta-ma, said on Thursday Panthong-tae and Pinthongta Shinawatra had diverted Bt6 billion of the proceeds from the sale of Shin Corp shares to PT Corporation, Worth Supplies, Pramaisuree Property and SC Office Plaza.

Bhanapot Damapong invested Bt10.4 billion in OAI Management, BBD Develop-ment, BBD Property and SC Office Plaza.

The amounts are part of the Bt73.3 billion both families received from the sale of Shin Corp to a group of investors led by Temasek Holdings.

"I'd like to know if these companies actually issued new shares to Pinthongta. Personally I don't believe they did. Noppadon should show the documents involved," he said.

Democrat findings showed Thaksin had founded Win Mark and later sold shares to Pinthongta in 2004, despite his statement that companies establishing domicile in the tax haven betrayed their nations.

The three linked companies are SC Office Park, Worth Supplies and PT Corporation. In 2000, Thaksin was alleged to have sold his shares in the three companies to Win Mark, which coincidentally has the same address as Ample Rich Investments.

Noting that the business activities of these companies had been frozen for some time, Korn said both families could have wanted to move money through the recent transactions.

Assets Examination Committee (AEC) member Sak Korsaengruang said in an interview with Channel 11 that the committee had decided to freeze 21 bank accounts in the belief Thaksin had abused his power while prime minister in order to boost his family's business and that all this money belonged to him.

"When the assets were frozen, he said he would have no money to buy a football club. But then he said he would use his children's money. This shows the money belongs to the same person," he said.

Meanwhile, Bank of Thailand Governor Tarisa Watanagase said yesterday the bank could not permit Thaksin to buy Manchester City Football Club with money from the frozen accounts.

If he uses funds from other sources the central bank will consider approval.

"Thaksin has never asked for central-bank permission for the purchase," she said.

The AEC asked the Bank of Thailand to trace all transactions in the 21 accounts, locally and overseas. A central-bank official who asked not to be named said this would be "troublesome". Singapore is strict about revealing customer transactions.

The seven companies were linked to both the Shinawatra and Damapong families. Before Thaksin entered politics, his wife Pojaman allegedly transferred shares in Shin Corp to her maid. Private secretary Kanchanapa Honghern allegedly helped.

Kanchanapa is one of two authorised directors of five of the seven companies. The other is Chanont Suvasin, an official of the dissolved Thai Rak Thai Party, according to data from the Business Development Department and Business Online.

Bhanapot and his wife Busaba control the other two companies.

- The Nation

=========================

More scamming and shifty then a 3-card Monte dealer......

How were the investments made? If through the stock market, that much money would have been an easily recognizable blip in those few stocks. Anyone notice it? Stock newly issued by the companies, wouldn't that require a registration filing with the SEC?

Is it that Taksin sold shares of three Thai Companies to the BVI company in 2000 and now those shares are being bought by his family members, effectively moving the money out of Thailand to the BVI? Is that what Korn is pointing out?

PM: Thaksin can decide when to return

The government is ready to provide security if ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra is to return to Thailand,

More from the Bangkok Post here.

Security? Like a private cell?

The comments were certainly not aimed at male posters generally, but were directed at a very FEW posters who never miss an opportunity to take the p*ss or to make unflattering, offensive remarks about farang women on this forum.

(quote)

Did not sound like that when I read those comments. Thanks for the clarification.

There are a lot of farang women on this forum who are highly respected and have been so for years.

Interesting that now people, including Taksin's lawyer, are talking about the money as belonging to Taksin eventhough it is in or from other people's accounts. Taksin denied ownership but is now claiming ownership. Still likes to have it both ways but unlikely to get away with it since he no longer controls the strings. The lawyer wants 46 billion released, well add that to what is already withdrawn and you have almost all of it!

Buds was just the local neighborhood ice cream in S.F., but a good one. In Thailand, I find it has almost always melted and been refrozen and the texture isn't "premium" any more.

Too bad!

I sometimes found the same thing, melted and refrozen, with their ice cream in the supermarkets but not with what I got at the Buds outlet where they also sell hand packed to take home.

As an aside, his lawyer here says he didn't buy the town house, the media said he did. Perhaps we should suspend judgement.

Regards

Or perhaps it is just lawer talk. A lawyer would say he did not buy it if it was not bought in his name but the media and most others would say he bought it if it was purchased by some person or entity that he controlled. Taksin used a lot of different entities and people to hold his assets.

The government is saying that the money is still in Thailand but have given no evidence to support that. Too much motivation to get it out and too many easy ways to do it without a bank transfer. I will be surprised if they find much of it.